When the selection committee meeting was held in Mumbai on 20 December, everyone kind of expected Shubman Gill to be part of India’s 2026 FIFA World Cup T20 squad. Brought back into the mix during the Asia Cup, Gill continued to hold the opening batting position and vice-captain the side, with the selectors and future team management seeing him as Yadavamar Suryaku’s captain one day.
However, the performance with the bat painted a different picture for the Indian ODI and Test captain. Gill scored 291 runs in 15 matches at an average of 24.25 and a strike rate of just above 137. In the modern era of T20 cricket, these numbers don’t quite fit the mantra of many teams who want their openers to bat above 180 and get their sides off to a flying start.
Despite that and Sanju Samson’s good performance in the T20I final against South Africa, everyone kind of expected Gill to be in the side for the tournament. But then the Indian selectors produced one of the biggest twists that would have given Bollywood directors a hard time. Gill’s name was nowhere to be found as Axar Patel was named vice-captain for the tournament.
Ishan Kishan, who has been making all the right noises in domestic cricket, has been drafted in as the third opener and second choice wicketkeeper, with Samson and Abhishek Sharma now installed at the top as openers.
Many scholars and fans sympathized with Gill and the way he was not selected for the T20 World Cup. Former cricketers sympathized with the 26-year-old, who is still one of the top talents in India today.
Sunil Gavaskar said he hoped Gill would take it in the right spirit and come back stronger. However, the biggest question for Gill now is what he will have to do to possibly return to the shortest format of the game.
Will he have to adopt a more aggressive approach as his new mantra in the shortest format of the game and move away from the one that has brought him results in the past? Or will he simply decide not to focus on T20Is for now and prepare for ODIs and Tests?
In the latest Democratic Review System column, India Today’s sports team considers what Gill needs to do next after his T20 World Cup 2026 insult.
Nikhil Naz
Fortunes change very quickly in Indian cricket, so any prediction is fraught with danger. That said, looking at the rapid pace at which T20 cricket is evolving, it might be difficult for Shubhman Gill to find a place in India’s T20 set-up even after the World Cup. In fact, the days of all-format batters may be a thing of the past, especially when it comes to classic batters like Shubhman, who seem more suited to Tests and ODI cricket. Future T20 openers will be more in the form of Abhishek Sharma (Suryavanshi, Priyansh Arya, Mhatre et al) rather than the Gill, Conway and Babar types.
Siddharth Viswanathan
That Shubman Gill was not selected in the T20 World Cup squad is a tale of BCCI’s caution and destructive policy. Why destruction? Because the BCCI and the current dispensation wanted to fit a square shape into a round hole. How could Gill turn on the switch and do wonders when he was out of T20Is for a year? Most importantly, they handled the winning, destructive opening duo of Abhishek and Sanju. During this process the 2 people were not given any clarity and ended up destroying Gill and Samson’s confidence. Now, with this insult, it’s going to be a very hard pill for Gill to swallow. One hopes that his confidence in ODIs and Tests is not shaken by this move. But these are uncertain times for Shubman, the captain and the batsman
Anurag Jha
Shubman Gill’s omission from the T20 World Cup squad is surprising, especially considering that he was the vice-captain of the Indian team in the format just a few days ago. The sudden loss of faith shown by the team management in Gill ahead of the T20 World Cup is far from ideal for the star batsman. Gill returned to the T20 set-up via the Asia Cup with high expectations and was even handed the vice-captaincy, but just a few months later everything changed.
Gill will naturally take some time to come to terms with the disappointment of being dropped. Now he needs to get back to the basics and further refine his technique keeping in mind the demands of T20 cricket. Gill will be eager to rediscover his form through the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the ODI series against New Zealand. While both of these events are in the 50-over format, strong performances could have a far-reaching impact. The upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season will also be crucial for Gill, where consistent displays could strengthen his case for a return to the T20 side.
Saurabh Kumar
Shubman Gill would be better served by taking a step back from the T20 noise and focusing on Tests and ODIs. Missing out on the T20 World Cup will hurt, but it shouldn’t cloud the bigger picture. He has captained India in two formats, a role that carries far more significance than one missed tournament. There is no need for Gill to question its value or argue against the decision. His status in Indian cricket is certain.
He has the confidence of the system and the responsibility to lead a Test side going through one of the toughest phases of the modern era. With the ODI World Cup less than two years away, this challenge should be his priority. History is rarely kind to footnotes. Few will remember how many T20 World Cups Gill has missed if he can lead India to a third ODI World Cup title in South Africa.
Alan John
While Shubman Gill feels it’s a kick in the gut, it’s a chance for him to reinvent his game. This won’t be the first time a cricketer has done this and the upcoming IPL season would be the best platform for it. He has a lot of support in the GT set-up and will certainly make their captain play differently.
The problem has been his strikeout rate, which is always in the 130-140 range. His aim in the IPL should be to push it above 170 first and find a new approach. We saw Kohli do it in IPL 2024 when he wanted to be ready for T20 World Cup 2024. So that should be the way for him in the near future.
Shayne Dias
While the axing of Shubman Gill from the Indian team ahead of the 2026 FIFA T20 World Cup is a welcome call given his struggles, it’s worth noting that the experiment isn’t over – it’s only been put on hold. This was evident from the fact that both chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and captain Suryakumar Yadav were at pains to point out that the combination played a big role in him not being in the squad.
That means Gill is ready to make a comeback — either right after the World Cup or later down the line. But if he is to justify this appeal, he needs to work on raising the stakes as that is the main bone of contention for his inclusion in the shortest format.
Gill is a proper batsman who has all the moves in the book but can’t bowl the way his Punjab and India teammate Abhishek Sharma can. If Gill can work on it in the IPL as he has in domestic cricket, then there is no reason to believe that he will not succeed in the shortest format as well. He needs to worry less about the volume of runs and more about the rate at which he scores.
Harshit Ahuja
It may seem doom and gloom for Shubman Gill right now, but it doesn’t have to be. Yes, he must be in a dark place right now, but the quality he has makes me believe he can make a strong comeback. He is still very young and has the ability to score runs. It just doesn’t fit the Indian team template right now, but that doesn’t mean the missing equipment can’t be found. In the IPL, he plays in conditions that are good for batting and should allow him to express himself more freely. His runs dried up as an Indian opener, but as we have seen in the past, big runs don’t escape anyone. If Gill shows he can pick up the pace to score big runs, I see no reason why he can’t be drafted again.
Rishabh Beniwal
Shubman Gill has had a reality check with the 2026 T20 World Cup and has been told that he will have to perform to stay in the team, regardless of his leadership position. However, it is not the end of the road for the youngster in T20Is as he has age on his side and may return to the shortest format. The star batsman needs to take it in his stride and continue to work hard to develop his game to fit into the current Indian T20I team dynamic. Given Gill’s talent, there is no doubt that he will be up to the task and we may soon see a different version of him in T20 cricket.
– The end
Published on:
December 23, 2025
